The final UFC event of 2024 is here, UFC Tampa is headlined by elite welterweights aiming for a title shot.
Perennial 170lbs title contender Colby Covington takes faces a rising star on a five fight win streak in Joaquin Buckley. This is the first time we have seen Covington since his underwhelming performance against Leon Edwards this time last year and he is a sizeable underdog in Tampa. The inactivity is undoubtedly going to play a part in this fight as Covington has not fought more than once a year since 2019. On the opposite side of the cage is Buckley in the hottest form of his career so far, he is 3-0 this year alone and could make it four special wins in 2024 in the Amalie Arena. A stunning KO of Stephen Thompson back in October provides a wealth of confidence for ‘New Mansa’ against the biggest name in his career to date.
Ones To Watch
The fighters on this card have the chance to end 2024 with a bang and we have picked out our ones to watch. Joel Alvarez is an electrifying lightweight on the fringes of the top 15 at 155lbs, boasting a record of 21-3 the Spanish submission specialist faces Drakkar Klose who’s only lost once in his last eight bouts. The fight promises to ignite the prelims and pick up a bonus at the end of the night. Further down the prelims sits Felipe Lima, the former Oktagon bantamweight champion makes his second UFC appearance after a delightful debut at UFC Saudi Arabia in June. A slick submission in Round 3 earned him the debut win against Muhammed Naimov after a back and forth war. Lima will take on tough veteran Miles Johns riding a four fight unbeaten streak in the UFC.
Kicking off the main card is City Kickboxing’s latest striking sensation, Navajo Stirling. At only 5-0 the light heavyweight is very green in his MMA career, however his Dana White Contender Series knockout in September got fans excited about his future. His UFC debut will be against gritty Brit Tuco Tokkos looking for his first UFC victory. Finally on your main card Portuguese flyweight Manel Kape will aim to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Muhammed Mokaev back in July. He is defending his ranking against a surging Brazilian in Bruno Silva who himself is just inside the top 15 and is on a four fight win streak most recently defeating Cody Durden in July.
Catch the live results and highlights below,
UFC Tampa Main Card
Welterweight – Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley
Result:
Highlights:
Featherweight – Cub Swanson vs Billy Qurarntillo
Result: Cub Swanson defeats Billy Qurantillo in the third round by knockout
Highlights:
Flyweight – Manel Kape vs Bruno Silva
Result: Manel Kape defeats Bruno Silva in the third round by TKO
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Light Heavyweight – Victor Petrino vs Dustin Jacoby
Result: Dustin Jacoby defeats Victor Petrino in the third round due to a knockout
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Bantamweight – Adrian Yanez vs Daniel Marcos
Result: Daniel Marcos defeats Adrian Yanez by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
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Light Heavyweight – Navajo Stirling vs Tuco Tukkos
Result: Navajo Stirling defeats Tuco Tukkos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Prelims
Lightweight – Michael Johnson vs Ottman Azaitar
Result: Michael Johnson defeats Ottman Azaitar in the 2nd round due to knockout
Highlights:
Lightweight – Joel Alvarez vs Drakkar Klose
Result: Joel Alvarez defeats Drakkar Klose due to a first round knockout
Highlights:
Featherweight – Sean Woodson vs Fernando Padilla
Result: Sean Woodson defeats Fernando Padilla in the first round due to TKO
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Featherweight – Miles Johns vs Felipe Lima
Result: Felipe Lima defeats Miles Johns by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Women’s Flyweight – Miranda Maverick vs Jamey-Lyn Horth
Result: Miranda Maverick defeats Jamey-Lyn Horth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Bantamweight – Davey Grant vs Ramon Taveras
Result: Davey Grant defeats Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Women’s Strawweight – Josefine Knutsson vs Piera Rodriguez
Result: Piera Rodriguez defeats Josefine Knutsson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Featured image credits to UFC
